After playing at the O2 Academy in Newcastle, England on January 14, John Campbell of LAMB OF GOD showed up at The Head Of Steam, just round the corner from the O2 Academy, to see a LAMB OF GOD tribute band, ELEVENTH HOUR, playing for fans at an after-show party. Accompanied by road crew, John stuck around for the rest of the set, conversing with fans, posing for photos and signing autographs. Fans of the band were beside themselves after seeing John‘s arrival. Rob Grant, singer of ELEVENTH HOUR, said afterwards that he was still very much starstruck.

Photos of John outside The Head Of Steam in Newcastle talking to Rob of ELEVENTH HOUR and hanging out with fans can be seen below.

Bassist John Campbell of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD has been forced to leave the band’s current North American tour due to a family emergency. His temporary replacement is Matt DeVries (FEAR FACTORY, ex-CHIMAIRA).

DeVries made his live debut with LAMB OF GOD Tuesday night (November 12) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He will play three more shows with LAMB OF GOD in Canada before heading out on tour with FEAR FACTORY as the support act for MEGADETH.

Says DeVries: “[I am] stoked and honored to be out on such an incredible tour with some great friends.”

LAMB OF GOD bassist John Campbell is featured in a new interview with Rock Revolt Magazine. An excerpt is available below:

The inevitable subject of Randy Blythe’s arrest and incarceration in Prague for over five weeks which resulted in the cancellation of the tour earlier in the summer made Campbell’s mood change to dead serious. Solemnly he recalled, “The experience had such a profound effect on us as people, as his friends, as a band as a whole. We were seriously just so worried about him that all we really did was sit around in shock with our friends and families most of the time, waiting for word from his attorneys. It was excruciating emotionally and to say that it was a difficult and trying time is an understatement.”

The overwhelming consensus in the U.S. from musicians and fans alike has been that although in the past jumping up on stage and stage diving were just standard fare for a metal show, ever since a fan gunned down Dimebag Darrell Abbott (PANTERA) after jumping on the stage – that it simply is not ok anymore. John said, “It can get scary sometimes. You just don’t know anymore. We’re just trying to work. Granted, we are a hard-core metal band, so people are going to mosh and jump around and stuff, but there has to be a limit. We don’t want to get hurt and we don’t want anyone else to get hurt either.”

Praguepost.com recently reported that Blythe will stand trial on February 4th, 2013, on charges he caused the death of a fan at a Prague concert two years ago. The date was confirmed by the city’s Municipal Court today.

The court, which had three months to set a trial date, deemed there was enough evidence to proceed with the case, acting quickly after the Czech State Attorney officially filed manslaughter charges against the 41-year-old earlier this month.

“We have issued Randy Blythe with a court summons, and he is obliged to attend the hearing in person,” said court spokeswoman Martina Lhotáková. “The trial will determine the culpability of Blythe, and his potential punishment.”

Blythe was held in custody in the Czech Republic after being arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by Czech police at the Prague airport on Wednesday, June 27th. It is alleged that during a May 24th, 2010 Lamb Of God concert, Blythe pushed a 19-year-old fan, who had climbed onstage, back into the audience. The fan lapsed into a coma and died of a bleeding in the brain fourteen days later.

John Serba of MLive.com recently conducted an interview with bassist John Campbell of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MLive.com: Does [the] incident [in the Czech Republic where a fan lost his life after attending a LAMB OF GOD concert] reflect upon the issue of safety at live concerts?

Campbell: It was a tragic event that happened. It’s not the first time somebody jumped off stage — I’ve done it myself, when I was younger.

MLive.com: I have, too.

Campbell: We should count ourselves lucky, then, and take a moment to pause and reflect on a life that was lost. I don’t want to lose focus on that.

MLive.com: I understand you have to be careful about not turning one unusual, individual incident into a bigger issue. Fans jump on stage and dive off at concerts every day.

Campbell: Yeah. In this day and age, though, I’d prefer not to have people on stage. People pay to see us perform, and that’s not part of the production we have planned. It’s not about a guy jumping on stage and flapping his arms and jumping off. And then there’s that one time where a guy got on stage and murdered [former PANTERA guitarist] Darrell Abbott. In my opinion, [the Czech man] never should have been on stage in the first place.

MLive.com: How did the fundraiser for Randy [Blythe, LAMB OF GOD singer] go?

Campbell: That was great. I parted with some items – I have personal attachments to the basses I play on stage. I took my two favorite basses and donated them to the auction, and donated a painting that Dave Brockie from GWAR made of Oderus [Brockie‘s on-stage persona] running a sword through me. [laughs] Personally, I was overwhelmed with how much support we received, and we raised a decent amount of money. We’re potentially staring down the barrel of a very expensive trial…I’ve been told there’s another auction being planned with more donated items from friends and bands.